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Ducks GM Bob Murray talks about Teemu Selanne’s hopes to come back

Los Angeles Kings v Anaheim Ducks

ANAHEIM, CA - APRIL 08: Teemu Selanne #8 of the Anaheim Ducks waves as he skates after being named first star of the game against the Los Angeles King at Honda Center on April 8, 2011 in Anaheim, California. The Ducks won 2-1 to clinch a berth in the playoffs. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

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The Ducks have been patiently waiting to see whether or not NHL legend Teemu Selanne will be returning to the Ducks this season or if he’ll be retiring from the sport. While we’ve heard from Selanne plenty this offseason about how we’ll know if he’ll be back by training camp and how his knee is the one hold up in bringing him back, hearing the opinion of someone on the Ducks staff helps too because they’re stuck waiting on Teemu as well.

Ducks GM Bob Murray did get a chance to talk about Selanne taking his time in figuring out if he can give it a go or not and sympathizes with the Finnish star and understands that if Selanne can’t give it a go because of his knee that that won’t help the Ducks out regardless. Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times gets the straight talk from Murray.

Murray said Selanne’s eagerness to play is “definitely a positive,” but the knee must improve before he makes a decision. In the meantime, Selanne is skating and doing off-ice conditioning work.

“I’m optimistic, but certainly understand him not wanting commit unless the knee is straightened out,” Murray said. “I’m going to talk to him again later this week and see how he is progressing.”


Teemu’s ailing knee is truly the roadblock here for him to come back for one more season. Selanne had the knee operated on this summer to help it out, but it’s still nagging him and making him think he can’t handle the rigors of a full season plus, potentially, the playoffs as well.

For Selanne, he’s the leading active goal scorer in the NHL with 637 goals and is destined for a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame being perhaps the greatest player to come out of Finland and one of the best goal scorers in this generation of the NHL. We’d obviously love to see him give it one more go around the league, especially with the Ducks paying a visit to Winnipeg on December 17 to take on the Jets. Seeing Selanne get to play one more game in the city that he broke into the NHL with would be a great night for him in what might be his final season.

It’s all up to Selanne from here on out though. If he thinks his knee can take it, he’ll be back. If not... It’s been one hell of a run for the “Finnish Flash” in the NHL.